We were about a quarter mile away when quiet swept over the colony. A thousand or more heads periscoped. Two thousand eyes glared. Save for our wading, the world's business had stopped. A thousand avian personalities were concentrated on us, and the psychological force of this war terrific. Contingents of home-coming feeders, suddenly aware of four strange specks moving across the lake, would bank violently and speed away. Then te chain reaction began. Every throat in that rookery let go with a concatenation of wild, raspy, terrorized trumpet bursts. With all wings Now fully spread and churning, and quadrupling the color mass, the birds began to move as one, and the sky was filled with the sound of judgement day.

1. The author's primary purpose in this passage is to
A) explain a natural catastrophe
B) issue a challenge
C) denounce an expedition
D) evoke an experience <---
E) demonstrate a thesis
2. According to the passage, when they first noticed the visitors, the birds of the colony
A) flew away
B) churned their wings <---
C) became very still
D) set up a series of cries
E) glared at the homecoming birds
3. The "four strange specks" are
A) wild birds
B) animal predators
C) intruding humans <---
D) unusual clouds
E) diners heading homeward
4. The response of the visitors to the episode described in this passage was probably one of
A) impatience
B) fear <---
C) anger
D) sadness
E) awe
5. The word "banks" in this passage means
A) cover
B) heap up <---
C) count on
D) tip laterally
E) reserve carefully

2, 4, 5 are wrong.

Can you please explain?

2 - the birds did something before they churned their wings. What did they do?

4- does it say anything about the humans being fearful? What emotion might this description inspire?

5 - look up the word "bank" as it is used in aviation/flying.

2. Please reread the beginning.

4. What words in the paragraph make you think the visitors are afraid?

5. Check the definition of the verb, bank.

Oh 2 is D right?

5 is A

No and no! You've ignored our suggestions.

Please do not post these questions again.

I'm so sorry. I did read your suggestions, but I still don't understand the reading. It confuses me a lot. :'(

What's confusing about the first sentence?

"We were about a quarter mile away when quiet swept over the colony. "

Did you find words that make you think the visitors were afraid?

Obviously you have not checked the definition of bank.

To answer these questions, we need to carefully analyze the passage. Let's break it down:

1. The author's primary purpose in this passage is to:
The passage describes an intense experience of the visitors encountering a colony of birds. The author vividly describes the scene, creating a sense of awe and terror. Based on this, we can infer that the author's primary purpose is to evoke an experience (option D).

2. According to the passage, when they first noticed the visitors, the birds of the colony:
The passage states that the birds "glare" at the homecoming birds, suggesting that they churning their wings (option B) and becoming very still (option C) are not accurate descriptions. The correct answer is that the birds churned their wings (option B).

3. The "four strange specks" are:
The passage mentions that these specks were moving across the lake and caught the attention of the colony. Based on this, we can infer that the "four strange specks" refer to intruding humans (option C).

4. The response of the visitors to the episode described in this passage was probably one of:
The passage does not explicitly state the response of the visitors. However, based on the intense description of the birds' reaction and the use of words like "terrorized trumpet bursts," it is reasonable to assume that the visitors felt fear (option B) in this situation.

5. The word "banks" in this passage means:
To identify the meaning of the word "banks," we need to consider the context in which it was used. The passage states that the homecoming feeders would "bank violently and speed away." This suggests a sudden and lateral movement. Based on this, we can conclude that in this context, "banks" means to tip laterally (option D).